Ronald Edward Thorpe (24 Feb 1932 - 22 Oct 2018)

Ron was born in 1932 in Nottingham, where he lived and worked for all his life. His first job was at the City Hospital where he met his future wife Beryl. That was seventy years ago. Their first date was Goose Fair, and their last visit to it together was a few weeks back. He did National Service in the RAF then went into the textile trade, eventually founding his own warp knitting company Sondavale Ltd with the help of his friends Tony and Fred, becoming one of the longest lasting and most successful firms in the industry. One son, James, who worked with him for many years, two grand daughters, Kim and Keeley, a great lover of dogs and food and people, good natured and good humoured even in the face of the health problems that bugged him all his life. He made a big impression on everyone who knew him and he's going to be missed and remembered for a long time.